Create a Proxmox VM Template for Ubuntu 20.04

Sun, Oct 3, 2021

Some necessary details for creating a Virtual Machine Template for Ubuntu 20.04 in Proxmox 7.0.
I wanted a quick machine I could spin up to start installing various Kubernetes Flavours.
Here is what I setup:

1. Perform a custom install.

   /boot - 1 GiB
   /     - Everything else
   

2. Upon successfull install, remove swap.

   # /etc/fstab
   # /swap.img  # comment out line
   
   # disable swap
   sudo swapoff -a 
   sudo rm -vf /swap.img
   

3. Install qemu agent

   sudo apt install qemu-guest-agent
   sudo systemctl enable --now qemu-guest-agent
   
   Proxmox -> Options -> Qemu Guest Agent -> Enabled
   

4. Update everything

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   

5. Remove apt caches

   sudo apt clean
   sudo apt autoremove
   

6. Remove machine-id

   truncate -s 0 /etc/machine-id
   
   # check if machine-id points to that file
   sudo ls -l /var/lib/dbus/machine-id
   /var/lib/dbus/machine-id -> /etc/machine-id
   

7. Clear SSH Host Keys

   cd /etc/ssh
   rm -vf ssh_host_*
   

8. Shutdown -> Hardware
   1. -> remove CDROM
   2. -> Add Cloud-init drive
   3. -> Add Serial Port (Cloud-init Requirement)
9. Convert Machine to template.